U.S. states take their own course on vaccines

[Reuters Weekend Briefing]

And Britain’s prime minister achieves an unwanted record

Audio Articles now available! Download the Reuters App. Weekend Briefing Weekend Briefing From Reuters Daily Briefing   By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor Thanks for joining me on the weekend shift and reading today’s edition of the briefing. Our On Assignment podcast visits Texas, Chicago and Mexico to understand why beef prices are rising in the United States. City Memo takes us to Hanoi. And I recommend our obituary for Ruth Weiss, the centenarian who “waged war with her typewriter.” States line up to bypass Trump’s vaccine limits   REUTERS/Hannah Beier Workarounds: Gov. Kathy Hochul authorized pharmacists to administer COVID vaccinations to anyone who wants a shot in an effort to counter new U.S. limits on inoculations. Massachusetts ordered insurers to cover vaccines backed by its health department. Florida’s legislature will have a fight on its hands as it debates the governor’s plan to dump vaccine mandates for grade-school children and others. Multiple health and medical groups called on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to step down. Trump is standing by his health secretary. Dim data: The White House said it expects the Fed to consider larger interest-rate cuts this month after disappointing jobs numbers. Federal Reserve nominee Stephen Miran said he is not Trump’s puppet. The Justice Dept. launched a criminal mortgage-fraud probe of Fed Governor Lisa Cook. Here are possible Trump picks to succeed Jerome Powell. U.S. increases military presence in the Caribbean Southern theater: Washington ordered the deployment of F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico to conduct operations against drug cartels, a White House official said. The move came after the U.S. killed 11 people in a strike on a boat from Venezuela. The administration is seeking to tie Venezuela to narco-trafficking and accused its military of provocation. President Nicolas Maduro says it’s an attempt at regime change. Southern border: A federal appeals court said President Trump unlawfully invoked the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans he accused of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang. Military lawyers will serve as immigration judges, something they’re not trained for. ICE arrested about 475 workers at a Hyundai Motor factory in Georgia. Listen to today’s World News podcast episode for more on this. These Americans support Trump’s immigration crackdown but are queasy about the methods. Hamas releases vídeo of Israeli hostages The latest: Hamas seized Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel from a music festival in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel's military said Palestinians in Gaza City should leave for the south as its forces advance deeper into the area. More countries say they’ll recognize a Palestinian state. What does that mean? And in Ukraine: Volodymyr Zelenskiy said security guarantees could include sending thousands of troops into Ukraine once Russia’s war ends. Vladimir Putin said Russia would regard foreign troops in Ukraine as legitimate targets. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Donald Trump is “quite cynical”… but in a good way. Keir Starmer achieves an unwanted record Eighth minister out: Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner resigned after saying she was sorry for underpaying property tax on her new home. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has scored more ministerial resignations than any UK government in the last half century. Nigel Farage lost little time in touting his anti-immigration Reform UK party as the solution to Britain’s troubles. Elsewhere in Europe: France’s government is hanging on to power by its ongles as the far right figures out a way to muscle in. A confidence vote will come on Monday, and its sovereign debt is coming under review. Madrid will absorb nearly $100 billion in debt held by its regional administrations. Nestle serves malaise, not mayonnaise Spreading trouble: The Swiss food giant ousted its CEO for hiding a relationship with a subordinate, but that’s only part of Nestle’s troubles. Kraft Heinz is breaking up, something investment bankers had pitched for years without success. Tyson Foods’ chief supply-chain officer got the boot after an unspecified violation of its code of conduct. How irked is India over its tensions with the U.S.? It’s affecting their toothpaste. Legalities: Amazon must face a nationwide class-action lawsuit over claims that it overcharged for products sold by third-party vendors. Disney will pay $10 million to settle FTC allegations that it unlawfully collected children’s data. Before I forget… Trump offered a broad view on foreign policy: “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” And the U.S. now has a War Department, not a Defense Department. “It’s really about winning,” Trump said. Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin discussed continuous organ transplants and the achievement of human immortality during their meeting in Beijing this week. Reuters withdrew a video containing the exchange after Chinese state TV demanded its removal and withdrew legal permission to use it. Northern India and Pakistan face fresh flooding. Aftershocks pummeled Afghanistan after earthquakes killed 2,200 people. The U.S. has not authorized emergency aid. The dead among the Lisbon funicular-railway crash included three Britons, five Portuguese, two South Koreans, two Canadians and one each from France, Switzerland, Ukraine and the U.S. A surfer attacked by a large shark at a Sydney beach died of his injuries, the first such incident there in more than 3-1/2 years. There is no firm evidence of a link between Tylenol and autism, and recent studies show conflicting conclusions on whether its use during pregnancy might create risks for a developing fetus. Sweden’s former national-security adviser, a childhood friend of the prime minister, was cleared on charges of severe negligence for leaving sensitive documents in an unlocked safe at a hotel. Get full access to Reuters.com for just $1/week. Subscribe now. Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters' website Listen to the Reuters World News podcast Weekend Briefing is sent once a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here. Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. This email includes limited tracking for Reuters to understand whether you’ve engaged with its contents. For more information on how we process your personal information and your rights, please see our Privacy Statement. Terms & Conditions © 2025 Thomson Reuters. 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